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Doha, Qatar - Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Rush Holt of New Jersey returned from Baghdad after meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Parliament Speaker Ayad al-Samarai.
The Iraqi officials confirmed their commitment to implementation of the Status of Forces Agreement, which calls for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2010.
During these meetings, the delegation discussed key remaining challenges faced by the government of Iraq, including:
* Rooting out wide-spread corruption that is impeding reconstruction and the delivery of services to the Iraqi people;
* Providing security to all Iraqi citizens;
* Resolving the border conflict between the Kurds and Iraqis; and
* Building a strong Iraqi intelligence capability.
The meeting with Speaker al-Samarai marked his first meeting with an American elected official. The visit to Iraq was Pelosi’s fifth.
Pelosi and Holt also met with American servicemen and women at Sather Air Base in Baghdad. The delegation thanked the troops for their service and described the education, housing and other benefits for troops and veterans recently approved by the Congress. Additionally, the Speaker met with many mothers in the military to deliver her greetings on the occasion of Mother’s Day.
This evening in Doha, the delegation will meet with Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabar Al Thani to discuss U.S-Qatar relations and regional security issues.
A senior Member of the Intelligence Committee, Congressman Holt is the Chairman of the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel, which was created at the start of the 110th Congress in January 2007.
